As a lecturer for the Film, Television and Screen Studies major, I faced the challenge of teaching students about an audio-visual art form online. In person, our lectures are often punctuated with clips which we are able to discuss with students during a live lecture. In moving towards recorded lectures, the only way to preserve this experience is to essentially make films about films, transforming the lecture into short documentaries or audiovisual essays. I sought to make most of the lectures I created for my units in this manner to help engage students in the most effective way for the subject, but also to begin teaching them to think about how to create films themselves for authentic assessments. The major assessments for all three units I teach under the FTVSS major involve some element of practical filmmaking, ranging from the video presentation to the argumentative audiovisual essay, and soon will include the creation of a short documentary film.
Students have responded positively to these lecture materials, remarking that it makes viewing lectures more fun, illustrates the concepts being taught with relevant examples, and helps impart a love of film. This is especially useful for students taking this and other FTVSS units from outside SASS who may be unfamiliar with film analysis and the Arts more broadly. Having this database of audiovisual essay lecture videos quickly teaches film language and analysis for advanced FTVSS subjects.
SETU qualitative feedback: “The video lectures were the standout factor. Always interesting to watch with useful information aiding the readings. Excellent presentation when compared to the average lecture”. Additionally, multiple students commented that the lecture videos were the aspect they found most effective of the unit.